I thought I'd already reviewed the Madison Avenue Pub, 7350 S. Madison Avenue, but apparently not. MAP was formerly The Party, which had been renovated and revamped by a group of owners that had as managing partners this guy Steve and his son Chris, who also ran Big Daddy's and The Longacre Bar & Grill. It was a nice place, but they took away much of the old place's charm and made it into a night club with snotty waitresses and sleazy bartenders. Wellll, supposedly there was a falling out between the owners, and they forced out ole' Steve and Chris from this particular place, anyway.
The new managing partners seem like nice folks, and the pub grub we had the other day was better than decent. I ordered a 12" pizza, which was more artisan style than pub style-- crispy breaded crust, fresh cheese, meats, sauce, and spices, for $12. Yeah, the price is not my favorite thing about this place, for sure. A well drink is still $4, as were the domestic drafts (I think). They have specials, but none of the ones I've seen so far have been very enticing. Still, it's a VERY nice place now, especially the outdoor beer garden. I'll go back, but I'd go back a lot more if the prices came down. Drink up!... but not too fast.
UPDATE, 04/22/2016: The place closed a few weeks ago.... The other partners supposedly accused Steve Waugh (of Big Daddy's fame), who managed this bar and The Longacre Pub, of skimming off some of the profits. I dunno whether that's true, but the Longacre has reopened with all new owners and Madison Avenue Pub remains closed. The asking price is rumored to be $450,000, one likely to not get many answers.
